Statisticians discuss future requirements
SHIPBUILDING requirements to 2005 was a key issue on the agenda when the Port of Dublin Authority hosted the annual meeting of the International Maritime Statistics Forum (IMSF).
Other topics included the age profile of the world fleet, sub-standard ships, trends in marine casualties, revisions to the compensated gross tonnage system, and electronic data interchange (EDI).
The IMSF has been working with Lloyd's Register and the UK Department of Transport in the standardisation of ship type classifications.
As part of its work programme, it is co-ordinating efforts to improve reporting and analysis of marine casualty data.
At the meeting, Jean Pierre of Ecomar, a marine consultant, was elected chairman and John Dowden, of the UK Chamber of Shipping, secretary.
Formed 23 years ago, the IMSF aims to promote improvement in the scope and quality of maritime statistics, act as a focus for various national and international bodies and encourage co-operation among them.
